1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a biocompatible hydrophilic material, its method of manufacture and its uses, in particular in the human body.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Faced with a lack of bone due to pathological or traumatic causes, which, if permanent, can have biomechanical or even esthetic consequences, the doctor is obliged to intervene in an attempt to promote the reconstitution of the missing bone or to make up for this lack by practicing a bone graft or by fixing a suitably selected biomaterial.
Practice of an auto-graft is one solution, but the usable sources (ribs, hipbones, spongy epiphysary bones) are limited with regard to the amounts available and their use is not always compatible with the patients' state of health. Lacking an autograft, the surgeon can practice a homo-graft if he has a well-administered and well-stocked bank close by. Nevertheless, the quantitative availability remains limited.
Therefore, the availability of bone mass substitutes of an allogenic origin clearly appears as the only solution capable of flexibly and effectively meeting the needs. The materials proposed for the manufacture of such substitutes are generally composites which contain a naturally-originating mineral phase, such as coral, or, most frequently, of synthetic origin, such as hydroxyapatite, tricalcium phosphate and an organic phase acting as a binder and which assists cellular colonization by the adjacent receiving tissues.
Numerous studies carried out on the subject for the most part show the suitability of such composite mixtures for the filling of losses of bone substance, but the proposed methods for preparation and use thereof are not fully satisfactory. In addition, the cost of the starting materials prevents their use for filling the large-sized cavities encountered in traumatology or carcinology.
Another field of use for a biocompatible material is the field of articulated prostheses.
The prostheses presently produced in a metallic or synthesized material can be sealed to the bone by a binder such as an acrylic cement. One of the disadvantages of this type of sealing is the atrophy of the adjacent living cells due to the temperature of polymerization of the cement.
In accordance with one alternative, the prostheses can also be sealed by biological anchoring. In this case, a bone regrowth is promoted which, should the prosthesis need to be removed, for example if it were to break, complicates its removal.